


Sunlight, Moonlight, In Between

by freduppet



Category: Food Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: COWARDS WHY IS THERE ONTHING IN THEIR TAG, M/M, also i barely pay attention to lore so, i hc raindrop as nb mlm and sashimi as a trans girl so those are present :), please consider: raindrop cake recovery, this is really fluffy not even any kissing in it. just havig fun writing them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 03:30:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16359890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freduppet/pseuds/freduppet
Summary: “...Did you say something, Bonito Rice?” Raindrop Cake quirked a brow, his sudden words having broken them out of their trance. Bonito Rice looked over at Raindrop Cake quizzically, before realizing what they meant. “Oh. Yes. I said that when I spoke to Sanma Shioyaki this morning, he mentioned wanting to meet you sometime.” Raindrop Cake tensed up a bit. “Me? Why? Nobody else needs to become involved with me, truly…” Bonito Rice simply retained his glassy gaze and continued around Raindrop Cake’s words. “I told him he could come by around dinnertime. Hope that was alright.” Raindrop Cake gasped. “Bonito Rice! You--” Bonito Rice cut them off. “You’re welcome.” Raindrop Cake’s jaw hung open, before they closed it and groaned. Bonito Rice returned his focus to sorting blankets to wash. “I knew that if I didn’t take action,” he added after a bit, “you never would.”





	Sunlight, Moonlight, In Between

**Author's Note:**

> THANK YOU to my dear friends Sara and Anne for proofreading!! :D also. sorry this isnt broken into proper paragraphs i can never get the html to work -_____________________-

**Sunlight**

The morning sun glowed warmly across the horizon. A thin, opaque mist clung to the ground, a remnant of a cold front now passed, drifting around Sakuramochi’s feet as she sat on the front porch of her shared home, patiently waiting for Raindrop Cake to wake. She gazed up into the sky, looking for shapes in the dark blue clouds. The sky was a soft cyan color, quite pleasant to the eye, she noted. She spotted a heart, then a dog’s face, then a flower-like blob drifting among the sky, before she heard the distant creaking of wood planks as a familiar pair of wheels crossed the floor beyond the back doors. There they are, she thought. Sakuramochi stood up, then walked back into the house.  
“Good morning, Rain,” Sakuramochi began, “how did you sleep?” Raindrop Cake sighed. “Alright. Surprisingly, better than most nights,” they replied, brushing a lock of hair behind their ear. Sakuramochi smiled. “Maybe that means today will be better than most, as well,” she suggested. Raindrop cake wrinkled their brow. “I sincerely hope so.”  
A soft meow disrupted the stillness of the room as the house’s many cats began to stir upon the analog melody of Raindrop Cake’s wheelchair. As a young, slender calico, dubbed Potato by Strawberry Daifuku, lept into the crevice of Raindrop Cake’s lap, they stroked its head gently. “That reminds me...where is Bonito Rice at the moment? Surely he is not still asleep,” Raindrop Cake asked, turning their head back to Sakuramochi from the cat. Sakuramochi brought a fingertip to her chin. “I’m not sure, either. I saw him when I woke up, but all he mentioned to me was something about cat food and Sanma Shioyaki. I wonder what he’s up to.” Raindrop Cake nodded. “Alright. I trust he will return soon, then. Are you going out yourself, later?” “Probably,” Sakuramochi answered. “I was going to go see Taiyaki today, and hopefully manage to avoid any heated conversation with Dorayaki, unlike last time.” She laughed as she recalled the boy’s outburst towards her when Taiyaki off-handedly mentioned she liked being around Sakuramochi more than her older brother. “So,” Sakuramochi continued, “you’ll likely be on your own for most of today. I could try to come back by lunch, if you’d like, and perhaps I’d then be able to visit with Bonito as well as yourself.”  
Raindrop Cake thought about her offer for a moment. “Alright. You may bring Taiyaki with you as well, if you’d like. I know how...close you two have become.” Sakuramochi squinted at the brief pause in Raindrop Cake’s words. “Are you implying something I don’t know about?” she questioned. Raindrop Cake gave a small smile. “Don’t worry about it.” Sakuramochi stared down Raindrop Cake for a few more seconds before giving it up, and shrugging to herself.  
An hour had passed, and Sakuramochi had left to visit the nearby park, the favorite meeting spot of herself, Taiyaki, and sometimes Strawberry Daifuku. Bonito Rice was in the living room, folding blankets coated in cat fur and separating them from blankets only sprinkled with cat fur (near every cloth item in the house had at least a touch) as Raindrop Cake nursed an over-cooled cup of tea. Bonito Rice whispered something while absorbed in his work, catching the attention of Raindrop Cake. “...Did you say something, Bonito Rice?” Raindrop Cake quirked a brow, his sudden words having broken them out of their trance. Bonito Rice looked over at Raindrop Cake quizzically, before realizing what they meant. “Oh. Yes. I said that when I spoke to Sanma Shioyaki this morning, he mentioned wanting to meet you sometime.” Raindrop Cake tensed up a bit. “Me? Why? Nobody else needs to become involved with me, truly…” Bonito Rice simply retained his glassy gaze and continued around Raindrop Cake’s words. “I told him he could come by around dinnertime. Hope that was alright.” Raindrop Cake gasped. “Bonito Rice! You--” Bonito Rice cut them off. “You’re welcome.” Raindrop Cake’s jaw hung open, before they closed it and groaned. Bonito Rice returned his focus to sorting blankets to wash. “I knew that if I didn’t take action,” he added after a bit, “you never would.” Raindrop Cake looked down into the bottom of their teacup solemnly. Bonito Rice was right. Besides, they had already made a decent amount of progress recently with their mental recovery. Perhaps this was simply the next small step in the right direction.  
That evening, there was a soft knock on the front door. “I’ll get it!” Sakuramochi sang. Bonito Rice looked over towards the entryway as he stirred the soup he had prepared, still simmering as the scent of its thick broth drifted throughout the house. Raindrop Cake was seated at the kotatsu in the living room, wheelchair close by, book in hand. The warmth of the humid evening air mingled with the traces of vegetable broth and dumplings ambling about the atmosphere, migrating towards the slightly cracked back doors and back across to the kitchen where they came from, resulting in the addition of different smells entirely to the draft beneath Bonito Rice’s nose. The chorus of crickets and rustling grass gracing his ears was soon joined by the sounds of the voices of Sakuramochi and Sanma Shioyaki, and he responded with a near inaudible sigh of relief.  
“Welcome, Mr. Sanma! We’re glad you decided to stop by,” Sakuramochi greeted cheerfully. She looked back towards Raindrop Cake, able to see a blush of embarrassment across their cheeks even from a distance. Sanma Shioyaki smiled and shook Sakuramochi’s hand as she turned back around to face him. “My pleasure, miss Sakuramochi. Thank you all for inviting me.” He briefly peered back over her head, in the direction she had been facing before, where he saw Raindrop Cake desperately trying to avoid eye contact. Upon releasing Sakuramochi’s hand, he tilted his head in their general direction. “That is...Raindrop Cake, correct?” Sanma Shioyaki whispered, leaning down slightly to speak to Sakuramochi. She nodded. “They’re a bit shy, but they warm up to new people much more easily than they like to let on.” “Ah..alright.” Sanma Shioyaki tugged a bit at his long scarf. He could relate to that feeling.  
Soon, all of the Souls were seated at the table, contently eating their meals while engaging in idle chatter. Raindrop Cake and Sanma Shioyaki kept exchanging curious glances with each other, each having a desire to know more about the other, but not quite knowing what to say. Sanma Shioyaki answered the questions from the others rather gracefully, speaking of cats and spring days and unwilling students. Raindrop Cake did not contribute much to the topics at hand, however they would nod and respond with small affirmations from time to time, listening attentively to everything happening. They had gathered many interesting things about Sanma Shioyaki over the hour he had been visiting so far: he was a gentle soul, a talented instructor, and the greatest love of cats and kittens all across the land since Bonito Rice. Sanma Shioyaki offered the last bit of soup to Raindrop Cake, which they accepted, having been too distracted by silently keeping up with conversation to finish their portion, then reached across the small table to push the ladle towards Raindrop Cake. As Raindrop Cake went to take the ladle on their own, as well, the hands of the two brushed together on the handle. “Excuse me,” Sanma Shioyaki muttered, retracting his hand back into his lap. Raindrop Cake lingered on the handle of the ladle for a moment before scooping the last bit of broth into their half-empty bowl. They felt a strange twinge within their heart when they thought back to what had just happened, despite how insignificant it had been. They finished their soup, no longer focused on the blatherings of Sakuramochi about her frustration with Dorayaki but on the sudden overwhelming hunger they felt in the pit of their stomach.  
Perhaps...it had not been so bad that Bonito Rice had acted so hastily after all. Raindrop cake had needed to interact like this more than they had initially thought. They smiled gently, thinking of how well everything had gone as they helped Bonito Rice wash dishes. Bonito Rice glanced over at Raindrop Cake, seeing their warm expression, and twitched an ear. 

**Moonlight**

Near a month had passed since the first dinner with Sanma Shioyaki. There had been a few intermittent visits between him and the other three Souls, especially with Raindrop Cake. As spring gradually grew closer to summer, delicate pale pink blossoms making way for luscious emerald green leaves upon the trees, Raindrop Cake and Sanma Shioyaki grew closer as well. They bonded through discussing comical names of cats, soothing each other in times where unpleasant memories came to the surface, and accompanying one another on pre-dawn strolls around the pond, watching for water birds and peeking turtle noses.  
Sakuramochi began to have her suspicions, having realized what Raindrop Cake themself was implying about her and Taiyaki originally and chuckling about the irony every now and then. Bonito Rice didn't tend to be the socially aware type, however it made him happy to see that Raindrop Cake finally had someone who understood them, more than he ever could. And Sanma Shioyaki…Sanma Shioyaki had realized at this point it would be safe to assume he was in love. Raindrop Cake was captivating, in every manner; from their occasional hoarse laughter he felt he could nearly get drunk on to their tendency to inch closer to him gradually when they sat next to him...as they were doing now…  
Raindrop Cake nestled their head into the crook of Sanma Shioyaki's neck, letting out a deep sigh as the two gazed up into the glittering moonlight. Sanma Shioyaki tensed, suddenly hyper-aware of his rather close proximity to Raindrop Cake, and felt his face grow warm as Raindrop Cake interlaced their fingers with Sanma Shioyaki's own. When he looked down at them after that, eyes wide, they quickly retracted their hand, as well as their presence, leaving the outline of Sanma Shioyaki's side feeling quite empty. “I…apologize sincerely,” Raindrop Cake began, words hushed and frantic, “I had gotten a bit...cold…” Sanma Shioyaki gazed back up into the sky, pondering what to say next. “It's alright,” he whispered, then added silently, “I didn't mind it.” Raindrop Cake went still for a while after that; they sat very stiffly, for almost five minutes, looking only up at the sky until they decided it was okay to meld back into Sanma Shioyaki's side, folding the two's hands together once again, albeit even more cautiously than before. Sanma Shioyaki smiled giddily before realizing how silly he probably looked, returning to his default expression abruptly.  
“...This is..,” Raindrop Cake began, catching Sanma Shioyaki’s attention. “...the happiest I have felt in a long time. Thank you for sitting out here with me.” Sanma Shioyaki grinned again. “I could say the same myself,” he responded, “especially because I’m here with you.” Raindrop Cake froze. Suddenly panicked, Sanma Shioyaki opened his mouth to mutter out an apology, before he realized that Raindrop Cake’s shoulders had started to quiver violently. They were laughing. Sanma Shioyaki blinked, startled, as they started to progress from raspy chuckling to full on wheezing, tears welling up in the corners of their eyes. “R..Raindrop Cake..?!” Sanma Shioyaki called, leaning over towards them. Raindrop Cake held up a shaky palm. “I-I’m alright,” they spat out from in between giggles. They sighed, still smiling. “I...I’m not sure what came over me...I suppose hearing you say that made me feel even happier.” As Raindrop Cake turned back towards Sanma Shioyaki, they realized that both of them were quite red-faced, the tips of their noses nearly touching with how Sanma Shioyaki had leaned forward a minute ago. Neither of them moved, daring each other with their curious eyes to make the next move. Finally, Sanma Shioyaki inhaled sharply, before being interrupted by Raindrop Cake.  
“I l-love you.” Their words were so quickly spoken, Sanma Shioyaki could barely make out what they said. It took him a few seconds to realize, afterwards immediately pulling Raindrop Cake into a tight, emotional hug. “I..I love you, too,” he breathed. Neither of them wanted to move ever again from that one spot, cradled in each others’ arms, underneath the brilliant moonlight that embraced the two gently in its soothing glow.

 **In Between** (epilogue)

“Hey, have you noticed?” Taiyaki wondered aloud, looking over at Sakuramochi. “Mr. Sanma seems a lot happier lately. He’s like…” “Acting more upbeat? I know,” Sakuramochi grinned. “There’s a reason for that!” Taiyaki’s eyes lit up, slamming her free hand on the table. “Ohhh! OHH! Who!!” Her speech was muffled by her mouthful of sandwich. Dorayaki looked over at his sister, confused. “Who?! What?? What are we talking about?!” He said, as Sashimi giggled from next to Sakuramochi. “Tell me!!” He was nearly yelling, until Taiyaki elbowed him in the side sharply. That made him be quiet. Sakuramochi looked over at him awkwardly, then made eye contact with Taiyaki as she made a motion with her hands similar to rain falling. Taiyaki gasped, reaching for her water bottle as she nearly choked on her food, then took a huge swig from it before clapping her hands together and chanting “I knew it!” Dorayaki was becoming quite frustrated. Sashimi motioned to her ear for Sakuramochi to whisper, as Sashimi still didn’t understand what she meant, then smiled widely upon hearing what Sakuramochi said. “I’m so happy for them!” she added. Taiyaki reached across the table and grabbed Sakuramochi’s hands. “Saku. How did this happen. They’re two of the most reclusive people I have ever met in my life. There’s no way anybody didn’t interfere.” Sakuramochi laughed. “It was Bonito Rice, of all people! I don’t think he thought of..that, though. And neither did I, until I saw how close they started getting. And the way they looked at each other..,” she trailed off. Taiyaki made a fake gagging noise, and Sashimi snickered. Dorayaki had given up trying to follow the conversation, swinging around his yoyo.  
Bonito Rice peered into the kitchen, where Raindrop Cake had been on the phone for quite a while now, chattering merrily with whoever was on the other end. Probably Sanma Shioyaki, he thought, as he turned to leave, until he heard Raindrop Cake actually utter the words ‘I love you’ and swiveled his head back towards the doorway. Raindrop Cake hung up the phone, then spun back around in their wheelchair towards the area where Bonito Rice was standing, jumping a bit in surprise. “Bonito Rice? How long have you...been standing there…?” Bonito Rice blinked, ignoring the question. “Was that Sanma Shioyaki?” he asked, his ear twitching. Raindrop Cake covered their mouth briefly, before setting their hands into their lap. “..Yes. We...we are…’together’ now, I suppose you could say. So...that is why I said…” Bonito Rice had to hold himself back from laughing at how red Raindrop Cake’s face started to become. “You’re embarrassing,” he replied as he left for the living room. Raindrop Cake brushed a strand of hair behind their ear. They sat for a moment, pondering what Bonito Rice had said. Embarrassing. Perhaps it was a little embarrassing to have had their first true love at their age, but that was alright, they thought. After all, Bonito Rice didn’t often make faces like the one he did a few seconds ago, and that was quite amusing. They chuckled as they wheeled out of the kitchen, making their way over to the back porch. As they looked up into the beautiful cyan morning sky, large, puffy clouds drifting lazily across the landscape, they came to an important conclusion:  
No matter what happened, as long as they had all the wonderful, loving people around them that they did now, everything would be alright. And, it certainly was.


End file.
